Judges and Judiciary
Oct. 30, 2025
Judge questions power to order bar to provide attorneys
A San Francisco felony judge is considering whether he can order the local bar association to supply more lawyers for indigent defendants amid a worsening public defender staffing crisis.
A felony judge is pondering whether to order Bar Association San Francisco to provide more lawyers for indigent clients in criminal cases during a shortage in the public defender's office.
The bar association has been helping fill the conflicts panel with volunteer lawyers since May to plug the gaps.
Judge Harry Dorfman, who oversees felony arraignments, has been holding hearings this week with representatives across the city's legal system.
Dorfman is...
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